The Supreme Court on Sept. 25 suspended a lower-court order requiring Missouri to use a Trump-backed Republican congressional map in November, keeping it out of the midterms for now. The court has now sided with opponents three times.
The map breaks up a Democratic-held Kansas City district and gives Republicans an advantage in seven of Missouri’s eight House districts. Opponents, the group People Not Politicians, gathered signatures for a public vote. Missouri’s Supreme Court said state law requires voters to approve the map before it can be used.
A federal judge ordered the map used, and the 8th Circuit restored it Sept. 21, reasoning that it had been used in the primary and that switching districts could give some voters more say in the general election. The court said one in four Missourians were in different districts than in the primary. People Not Politicians said the change would cause confusion; state officials said no option would allow an orderly election, while Attorney General Catherine Hanaway argued the GOP map better served the public interest.
